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The Phantom of the Opera (Dario Aregento)
hhhh Plot The movie begins with The Phantom's mother abandoning him by throwing his basket into a river leading to the sewers. He is found by a colony of rats living beneath the Opera House and is raised by them. He comes to believe that he is a rat and goes to great lengths to protect them. Even setting traps and murdering those that venture into his sub-terrain world. The movie moves forward to 1877. Several workers are checking a tunnel when they discover one of The Phantom's traps and the The Phantom gruesomely murders them. A young ingenue named Christine Daaé on the empty stage after a performance. Christine sings to the empty auditorium dreaming of a day when she could be the opera's diva. Unbeknownst to her, The Phantom watches her from the shadows.Christine's maid Honorine comes to fetch her for a costume fitting and Christine dismisses her; telling her she will be there in a moment. Christine takes her bows before her imaginary audience before leaving the stage alone. As she makes her way through the Opera House, Christine meets the phantom. Telepathically he communicates with her expressing an interest in her and also inquiring as to who she is. The Rat catcher is first seen laying traps in the attic of the Opera House. A mysterious cold settles before an unseen presence forces him to place his hand in one of his own traps. Painfully maimed by the trap, he is attacked by flesh eating rats who tear at his fingers before being freed. Honorine and Christine lounge in Christine's dressing room talking about Carlotta before Christine receives a bouquet of flowers from Raoul, Baron de Chagny. Honorine mocks Christine about Raoul's attention but Christine makes no comment. The rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet are underway with Carlotta as Juliet. As Christine watches the rehearsals she speaks with The Phantom telepathically and arranges to meet with him the wings. The Rat catcher had his hand inspected by a doctor and a journalist as he tells them it was a phantom that forced his hand. Christine meets the phantom amongst the disused props in the wings. He proceeds to sniff her; intoxicated by her "female smell". He makes her promises and professes his love for her before abruptly leaving. The exchange is witnessed by stage hand Alfred. When the phantom leaves, Alfred follows him and discovers his underground network of tunnels. He goes to the laundry rooms to fetch Paulette and tell her about the tunnels. They agree to meet at Alfred's lodgings to come up with a plan. Later they lay on Alfred's bedding drinking and scheming. Alfred is unafraid of the Phantom due to seeing military action. He is certain that there is hidden treasure that can be stolen. Paulette agrees and they make love. Raoul and Christine visit a tearoom where she promptly tells him about her dislike for the bouquet he sent. She expresses how much the poetry he sent her touched her. She tells him that she thinks of him as "the brother she never had". Meanwhile, Stage hand and Laundress Alfred and Paulette makes their way done to The Phantom's underground passages intent on stealing treasure. The Phantom stabs and impales Alfred before ripping out Paulette's tongue. Above the ground, Honorine and Christine are in the dressing room when the frightened ballerinas burst in followed by Monsieur Buquet dressed in a cloak imitating The Phantom. Honorine knocks him to the ground with a stool. Monsieur Buquet insists that he was only teaching the children about the dangers of the Phantom. He tells the story of Gustave and his workers' murders which tells us that a year has passed since Christine first met The Phantom on the same night. Christine because distressed and faint as they talk about the Phantom and his watching her sing on the stage.In the offices of the Opera House, the old manager is being replaced with Monsieurs Pourdieu and Poligny. He warns them about The Phantom before he starts foaming at the mouth. The Phantom sits upon the rooftop at night, smelling Christine's scarf and gazing into the stars. He first sees his Rat family (shown as naked humans with rodent masks) in a blazing giant mouse trap and then a vision of Christine; nude in fishnet aglow with heavenly light. When Carlotta develops a sore throat and Christine must take her place. As she rehearses the piece, she gazes frantically between The Phantom in the shadows and Raoul in the stalls. The strain becomes too much for her and she collapses and has to be revived with smelling salts in her dressing room. The Phantom visits Christine when she wakes but promptly disappears while Raoul listens at the door. Christine slips away and Raoul searches her room for a concealed lover but finds nothing. aunted by his fruitless passion for Christine, Raoul's brother Jerome takes him to a bathhouse. Raoul smokes a hookah and mistakes a naked woman, Rose Velvetlips, for Christine. Unhappy that Christine does not want him, he causes a scene in the bath house before he weeps before Jerome's feet. In the cellars of the Opera, Pourdieu as forcibly taken one of the young ballerinas and is trying to bribe her with chocolates for nefarious reasons. She escapes and encounters The Phantom who spares her life but stabs Pourdieu. When she tells other what has happened she is punished. After his hand is healed, The Rat Catcher is consumed by a need to eliminate all rats and The Phantom. He collects all the tails of those he has killed and keeps them in his lair. He has also enlisted the help of a dwarf and has created a small car with rotating blades to kill more rats.They drive it around the tunnels with inital success until they crash into a jagged rock. The Rat Catcher is thrown from the car and knocked unconscious while the dwarf is killed by the blade as it falls back to the ground. The Rat Catcher awakes bloodied and dazed some time later and crawls through the tunnels. Christine returns from an outing to find Honorine smoking a pipe which Honorine tries to hide. Christine gifts her favorite perfumed tobacco before asking her to fetch her some coffee. As she sits before her dressing table, Christine confesses that she loves both The Phantom and Raoul. The Phantom hears her words and beckons her to the mirror. He plays his organ and lets the music lead her through the passageways to his lair. When she arrives he demands that she sing to accompany his playing before they go to bed together. Post coitus they embrace as The Phantom reveals his abandonment and slips his ring onto Christine's finger. Raoul comes to visit Chrisitne only to be meet with Horoine. Once Raoul has left, Honorine notices a fly in the room and she throws a snuffbox which hits the mirror revealing that it leads down into the cellars. The night morning, he is awoken to find Christine playing the organ. He tells her that she will sing the role of Juliet that night at the Opera. She tells him that she doesn't want to before they argue viciously and the Phantom sails away leaving her abandoned in the house by the lake. Carlotta prepares as Poligny tells her that her debut performance has a fullhouse. Carlotta is not surprised given her talent and renown. As she talks about her new contract she sends Marc to the wardrobe room to fetch her costume. The Phantom throws his voice insulting Carlotta who in turn thinks it was Poligny. She orders him to leave despite his protests before hearing Marc whimpering. She goes into the wardrobe room to investigate when the Phantom pins her to the wall. He bites her earlobe and informs her that she will not sing as Juliet that night before he exposes her breast and claws it. Carlotta faints momentarily before dragging herself back to her dressing room. Despite her disheveled appearance she is determined to sing the role. As the curtain rises, the Phantom's note is discovered threatening a disaster if Carlotta sings. As the Opera progresses, The Phantom toplessly cuts down the Chandelier causing countless gruesome deaths in the audience. A prop also becomes dislodged and falls on top of Carlotta's head. While unharmed, the powder renders her unable to sing. Christine patiently waits for The Phantom's return knowing that he has done something horrible to get her the role of Juliet. When he does return their fighting continues. resulting in the Phantom raping her. The Rat Catcher also witnesses this through a crack in the wall. The next morning Christine awakes and finds The Phantom lounging on a couch covered in rats. He seems to be aroused by the rats running across his bare chest and down his trousers. After witnessing this; Christine flees the lair. As she traverses the tunnels she finds Raoul who has been searching for her, they leave together.Christine longs to be away from the Phantom and takes Raoul up onto the rooftop. The Phantom watches this scene tearful and hidden from sight. Christine explains what The Phantom means to her before the two declare their love for each other with a kiss. They are joined by Honorine and Poligny who insist she must sing Juliet. The following evening, Christine takes to the stage as Juliet. Her performance is interrupted however by the injured Rat Catcher limping onto the stage and calling Christine; "The Phantom's whore!". This prompts The Phantom to fly onto the stage and abduct the fainting Christine. Raoul sees this and follows in an effort to save Christine. The Rat Catcher leads a mob into the cellars in pursuit of the Phantom. When Christine awakes underground she hits the Phantom on the temple with a stone but immediately begs forgiveness. The Phantom leads her away as they hear the approaching mob. Raoul is the first to discover them and shoots The Phantom with a rifle found in the cellars. Christine weeps to see The Phantom injured but the phantom implores Raoul to take Christine away so that she is safe from the mob. The three reach the waterfront and Raoul and Christine get on the Phantom's boat. Christine beseeches Raoul to return to shore for the Phantom as the mob surround him. The Phantom is shot by a solider who he manages to overpower, he is shot a third time before he is stabbed by The crazed Rat Catcher. He pulls out the blade and proceeds to stab The Rat Catcher to death before limping towards the water's edge. He raises his arms, calls out Christine's name and is stabbed fatally. The Phantom falls into the water: dead. The rats morn his loss and Christine is inconsolable and does not notice that the Phantom's ring slips from her finger into the water fading to the end credits. Portrayal